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Haditha Marine Officer Up for Bronze Star Medal
Even as the government was investigating whether a Marine officer failed to probe the death of 24 Iraqi civilians, he was being recommended for a Bronze Star medal partly for his actions the day of the killings, his attorney said Wednesday.
First Lt. Andrew A. Grayson, of Springboro, Ohio, was in a team of intelligence operatives that inspected the scene of the Nov. 19, 2005, attack in Haditha. The killings were carried out by a Marine squad in the aftermath of a roadside bomb explosion that left one Marine dead.
Grayson was charged in December with willfully failing to report and investigate a possible violation of the law of war, making a false official statement and telling his sergeant to delete photographs of the dead. Attorney Joseph Casas said Grayson, 25, is innocent.
The medal recommendation was written in February 2006, about the same time government agents were probing the deaths, Casas said.
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The Bronze Star is the fourth-highest award given for combat action. Marine spokesman Lt. Col. Sean Gibson, contacted after business hours, said he could not immediately confirm whether Grayson had been recommended for a medal.
Casas said the nomination praised the Marine for learning of two other roadside bombs in Haditha from Iraqis he questioned in the wake of the attacks. He was also cited for obtaining information that led to the capture of two men who detonated the bomb that sparked the violence.
The medal nomination also cites other instances in which Grayson obtained information that may have saved American lives from August to December 2005, Casas said.
"I think it is indicative of the type of Marine he is and the unblemished career Lt. Grayson has led and of his good military character," said Casas, who believes the recommendation is still under consideration. Three enlisted Marines are accused of unpremeditated murder in the Haditha killings. Four officers, including Grayson, are charged with failing to investigate or report the deaths. The enlisted men have maintained their innocence, saying they believed they were under attack and followed proper procedures to defend themselves, while the officers say they reported events up the chain of command.
Grayson's preliminary hearing is set for June 18 at Camp Pendleton.
© 2007 Associated Press.
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